Dopers with Raynaud's? (Freaky cold white fingers?)

In My Humble Opinion
1

This question has a few parts. I’m not going to be great about editing, 'cuz it’s really freaking hard to type right now.

Hands up: (hah) who all here has Raynaud’s disease?

A lotta folks wander around undiagnosed because a mild case is little more than a nuisance – minor circulatory probs in the extremities when it’s cold - you’re fingers may look like they belong on a corpse. Like this.

It’s not painful, except sometimes when you warm up again after being particularly cold, when it may feel like someone’s smashed all your fingers and toes with a hammer. Most of the time, nothing to worry 'bout, though.

Sometimes it’s progressive, though. Mine’s been getting worse for for the last few years. (I’ve had it for about ten.)

I have to stay pretty warm all the time – Canada is probably the wrong country for me. Wake up every morning with no blood in my hands & feet until I get into the shower.

Lately been giving myself screaming meemies thinking about possibilities like this, or this. :eek:

Have an appointment with a specialist next month, I’m going to break down and go on vasodilators to try to mitigate it somewhat.

Cut to the chase–
I’m basically polling for several things–

  1. How many dopers are dealing with this condition?

  2. To what degree of severity?

  3. What are your experiences with medications, particularly nefedipine? (I’ve been dealing with it by controlling my environment, clothing, etc, but it’s just not working anymore.)
    4a) What sort of genetic history, if any, do you have? (My sister has the same condition.)
    4b) What sort of pharmaceutical history, if any, do you have? (I used high doses of a popular ergot preparation on a weekly basis from 1988 to 1997. According to Merck’s, that may have precipitated (or exacerbated) it.

  4. (Most importantly to me,) have you ever suffered loss of dexterity and sensitivity of your hands when you are not having a vasospastic attack?

My right hand hurts like hell (wrist especially) and I’m having a hard time moving my damned fingers. I’m wondering if this is connected to the Raynauds or something else, like plain ol’ RSI or Carpal tunnel syndrome.

I’m writing a novel right now, but still I haven’t been typing nearly as much as did during the peak of my Straight Dope addiction.

Okay, I’m done whining.

2

When I was about 12-14, I had Raynauds.

I assume I still have it, but I haven’t had any symptoms in about 5 years. When I did have it, it was pretty mild, just kind of freaky. I would lose feeling in the tips of my fingers, and they would go white and purple.

I was just careful to keep my hands warm after that, and I wouldn’t worry too much when it happened when I was just sitting around a warm house (which was how it usually happened).

Thankfully, it never got severe (I didn’t even know it could!) I assume it’s linked to my always being cold an having a relatively low body temperature, but I never felt any adverse effects in my hands other than described above.

Good luck with it!

3

I think maybe I should see a doctor.

My fingers do look like they belong on a corpse. I’m sitting in a warm room now and they look like that. They are slowly looking like they belong on the living.

The thing giving me the screaming meemies is my feet are purple and freezing, like they normally are. They look a bit like this, only not as severe. :eek: At least I have no ulcers, would have gone to ER with those developed.

I never thought about the freaky color of my hands and feet to be anything bad. They have always been like that. I do have Rheumatoid arthritis. But have never taken anything for it.

I can only answer question 4a: adult diabetes runs in both sides the family. I have an anut who had both her legs amputated shortly before she died.

Sorry I can’t be of more help.